Pieces of Happiness
by Winterwing3000
Summary: Complete. Time passed by them quickly and it was about time for her to return to Wutai. He could only watch and wait, with words unspoken. Three-shot to their happiness, Yuffentine. Sequel to 'Christmas Tradition'.
1. Part 1

**Standard disclaimers apply** to the characters of Final Fantasy VII, property of SquareEnix. I don't own them, so don't sue.

I was originally debating between a prequel and sequel for _Touch_, and ironically, _Christmas Tradition_ came before this and therefore, that is the sequel to _Touch_ even though this was preplanned months before. So I decided to turn this into the sequel of _Christmas Tradition_, except rather than the one-shot trend, it's actually a short series in three parts. Enjoy!

* * *

Part I,

By Winterwing3000

* * *

Vincent stared down at the festivities just outside of the doors of Seventh Heaven from his perch on the slant of the roof. The streets were relatively quiet and lights glowed from the windows of other buildings. The air was filled with the scent of burnt out matches and the gleeful giggles of Marlene and Denzel.

He could see Cid's wheat colored hair, illuminated by the lamps decorating the front, and Shelke and Reeve's long shadows were thrown across the ground. Tifa was inside, preparing the desserts, and Cloud was most likely sitting nearby with Barret, watching the children play with their sparklers. He spotted Red XIII's fire-tipped tail swaying to and fro, amusing the children as they waved their sparklers in tandem.

Yuffie was nowhere to be seen or heard. He expected her to be playing alongside the children with multiple sparklers in her hand while jumping all over the front of the bar. But her presence was lacking. It was an unusual form of quiet, even for him. Her loud and boisterous voice usually carried the conversations amongst them. Over time, he became comforted by the sound of her Wutainian accented Midgarina. Her speech was crude and rough at times, but when she spoke in normal conversations, the words flowed smoothly like river waters washing over pebbles at the shores.

He shifted his gaze to the clear navy skies lit sparsely by random stars. Over the past months, he continued to on missions under WRO with Yuffie as his partner, for the most part. But Reeve did give Yuffie the option to withdraw from the field as she recovered from her injuries after finding out from the mission report.

But Yuffie as Yuffie, adamantly refused to take up the offer and instead insisted that her "ultra-awesome-ninja-skillz would get rusty and that Vinnie would not be able to save his own ass and is directionally challenged and would not be able to kick some eww monster butt by himself and that she was the utmost important asset on field working anyway so it would be extremely bad if she wasn't getting ridge of those said eww monsters."

Vincent still wondered how she managed to say all that without breathing in between given her small size.

There was a sudden change in atmosphere when his ears picked up the squeak of the hinges on his bedroom door. There was no other sound afterward. While the festivities continued below, Vincent closed his eyes and remained still, counting to ten slowly.

By the time he reached six, a pair of cool and rough hands clapped across his eyes, making a audible 'slap' sound as flesh met flesh. "Yuffie," Vincent said neutrally, his body unmoving.

He heard a huff and the hands were removed from his eyes. The said woman sat down next to him, a pout visible on her lips. "You're no fun Vinnie. I didn't even get to say 'guess who'!"

An unbidden smile made way to the corner of his lips. "I apologize."

Yuffie grinned. "It's fine. Just let me do it next time and I'll call it even. What are you doing up here all by your lonesome though? It's so much more fun downstairs!"

"I was," Vincent sought for the proper phrase. "Enjoying the scene from above."

The self-declared ninja snorted. "Better to be part of the fun."

They lapsed into a silence, staring out at the liveliness below. A spring chill swept the rooftop, rustling their hair. Yuffie laid on her back, arms crossed beneath her head and legs stretched. "I have to head home soon," she stated out of the blue.

The gunslinger looked over his shoulder, staring directly at her. Yuffie refused to meet his gaze and kept her eyes trained on the endless dark sky above. Slowly, he tipped his head downward, averting his garnet eyes to the scene below, not truly seeing what is happening.

She was the heir of an ancient country, the future sovereign of Wutai, and for obvious reasons cannot extend her trips away from her homeland forever. It had been a long while, Vincent faintly looked back, since she went back to Wutai from what he could recall. She stayed in Midgar almost since the Omega incident, even though she made a few trips between the two places throughout this long period of time.

It was time that she decided as to where her true place was.

"Chichi-ue for once didn't throw a fit and sent Gorky or Chekov over to kidnap me back. He wrote me a letter instead," Yuffie told him after a few moments of collecting her thoughts. "It told me that I should at least be there for my people and that I've done my part in this 'saving the world' adventure. Of course, I don't really think anyone could live without the thrill of saving the world over and over again. Not me at least, don't know about Chocobo head down there."

Vincent closed his eyes. He could hear the wry grin growing on her lips as she spoke.

"But, for once, I think my old man's right about going home. As much as it sucks for me to agree with him, I think… it's about time I went home. I mean, I'm not really needed around here and I'm not really enjoying the idea of freeloading off of Tifa forever. Not to mention that I kinda made a deal with him, I've had my time to see the world… And the intelligencers that I've been training at the WRO can easily replace me, so that Reeve isn't short one employee really. And of course, he has you to handle things in my place!" She poked him lightly on the shoulder.

"Just don't miss me too much, okay Vinnie? I mean, I can definitely leave you a nice, framed sexy picture of me on your cubical if you want, don't know how Reeve will take it though! And I'll send you texts every day to if you want, especially those long chains of—Oof!" The shinobi blinked, dumbfounded as she suddenly found herself smothered by red, black and warmth.

Vincent held her as close as he could possibly have her with his gauntlet arm secured around her waist. Her upper body was turned toward him and pressed tightly against his side, with her arms on her lap and her face against his left shoulder. He felt her exhale as the surprise wore off. Slowly, he placed his right hand on the back of her head. Words did not leave his lips and a sigh of content left hers.

* * *

_End Part I_

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**AN:** Well, there you have it! First part in three. Hopefully, I did it some justice and didn't butcher anyone… in particular. Comments?


	2. Part 2

**Standard disclaimers apply** to the characters of Final Fantasy VII, property of SquareEnix. I don't own them, so don't sue.

* * *

Part II,

By Winterwing3000

* * *

A sliver of moonlight peaked through the closed curtains and glowed across the two bodies lying on the bed. The checkered blanket gave them modest coverage and tucked them in securely for the night.

As they laid there in silence, Vincent could hear Yuffie's contemplative sighs. Occasionally, the pale lithe arm place across his chest would shift and the fingers of that hand would drum slow and methodical beats. She was resting closely to his side, with her head placed over his heart. He curled an arm underneath her body and idly traced the battle scars on her back, running from her shoulder to her hip.

He could see her steel lavender eyes blink in the darkness of the room. They were filled with questions, answers, hopes, sadness and fire.

"Yuffie." He couldn't help but murmur her name aloud.

She tilted her head almost cat-like and redirected her focus on his chin. "What's up?"

He prodded at her gently as his free hand caught her teasing one and held it still. "Sleep."

Yuffie blinked and he could see a thought pausing at her lips. She sighed again and smiled. "Vincent. I love you."

Something inside tightened in him but nothing sprung forth. Her smile remained unwavering, blinding and silencing him at the same time. He held down whatever was trying to escape from within and only stared at her continuously, hoping that something will tell her of that whatever that he couldn't let out.

As her eyes twinkled at him, Vincent gathered her and settled her head on the pillow. He then proceeded to throw the blanket completely over them, casting them into a darkness that only included the both of them and excluded the rest of the world.

* * *

"Do you really have to leave now Yuffie? Marlene's birthday is in a few days," Tifa said as she warmly hugged the younger woman. Yuffie returned the gesture. "Godo will have my head if I didn't go back. It was a deal and I don't plan on breaking my end of the bargain."

The ninja turned to the younger girl who looked up woefully. She knelt down to Marlene's height and patted her soft brown head. "Hey kiddo, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'm sure you miss your home too, Yuffie." Then Marlene frowned as a thought struck her. "Will you come here for Denzel's birthday?"

The oriental woman gave a lopsided grin.

"I'll see what I can do. In the mean time…" Yuffie reached her hand behind her back and into a small black pouch. In her hand, a steel fan appeared. "An early birthday present."

_Snkit_. The fan snapped open with a flick of her trained wrist. The child stared at her gift in awe. Marlene took it carefully and smiled brightly as she hugged Yuffie. "Thank you!"

"No problem. Anyway, I have to go now. You know me. Ninjas don't stay in one place for very long. We're travelers!" The ninja stood up with a big smile and bid farewell to the others. Finally, she turned to the tall, stoic gunslinger who stood a bit further away from the group and closer to where the Shera was waiting.

"Well, I had a lot of fun these few months with you Vinnie!" She smiled cheerfully at him. "Drop by Wutai sometime okay? I don't want to die of boredom."

At first, Vincent said nothing. His gaze remained steadfast upon her face, soaking up the fine lines and curves and life found there. So many things raced through his mind and yet, he couldn't find the right one. Just as she was about to step away from his personal space, his gloved hand latched onto her forearm.

She looked back at him with her lips curved into a sad smile.

"You have to let go now," she said gently, prying his gloved fingers from around her upper arm. However, his grip did not slacken. Instead, it tightened as his claw suddenly appeared at her waist. She gasped in shock as he embraced her, holding tightly onto her.

"Yuffie," he murmured and he placed his claw on top of her head. He hesitated, "I…"

Smiling with her eyes closed, she slipped her arms around him middle and buried her face into the depths of his cloak. She could hear his heart beat loudly in his chest and smell the lingering scents of gunpowder. "I understand. Don't worry."

"Yuffie…" he started in protest. She silenced him as she placed a finger upon his lips.

"Shh. I have to go now. My time here is up," she told him, looking tenderly into his garnet eyes with her content orbs of steel. Lightly, she extracted herself from his arms and beamed up at him. She held out her hand. Looking down, he reached out with his claw and locked hands.

"See you later Vincent." She let go and took two steps back. With a teasing glint, she added, "Don't miss me too much Vinnie. I'm not liable for any damage you make."

At first, he wanted to retort to her bait, but refrained himself. Instead he gazed at her, saying nothing as she turned around and headed toward the Shera, where Cid had his arms crossed and was looking in their direction with a crossed expression.

"Yuffie," he said in his low timbre. He lifted his face from the mantle. Something in his heart gave and the words that were sealed last night tumbled from his lips. "I love you."

She stopped in mid-step and looked back. Her eyes softened and a whimsical smile appeared on her lips. "I know."

He knew that nothing else could be said afterwards and remained silent. So he simply watched as she walked away with the tails of her traditional headband swaying in the air. She came up to Cid and they bantered before boarding the airship. The docking closed and the ship began to lift off from the ground. Moments later, his sharp eyes caught sight of her as she stepped onto the main deck by the glass windows.

She looked down at him and enthusiastically waved to him one last time. The propellers of the Shera whipped and accelerated. Soon, a gust swept the ground and the airship was flying in the skies, toward Wutai.

He stood there staring at the sky as the shape of the bulky aircraft disappeared into the horizon. A hand clapped onto his shoulder. Cloud came up next to him. "You alright Vincent?"

"I'm fine." The SOLDIER nodded and began to walk toward the group behind them.

With a flourish of his red cloak, Vincent followed the rest of the members of AVALANCE back to the heart of Midgar.

* * *

_End Part II_

* * *

**AN:** The second part to this three shot. I'm really trying to put everything I brainstormed for this, but it never really fits. Heh, go figure.

Many thanks to my anonymous readers and reviewers, and also **Ninja-Yuffie92** and **Velve-Leggings-XD**!


	3. Part 3

**Standard disclaimers apply** to the characters of Final Fantasy VII, property of SquareEnix. I don't own them, so don't sue.

* * *

Part III,

By Winterwing3000

* * *

Vincent waited alongside Nanaki as they both watched Cloud and Tifa closed up the bar. Cloud was putting up the last of the barstools while Tifa was rinsing out the remaining beer glass. Cid was sitting in a wooden rocker on the porch with his feet propped up on the rails. A cigarette was held in between his lips as he mumbled a conversation through his cell phone.

Reeve and Cait Sith approached them from behind. The director of the WRO had a metal briefcase in his hand, suggesting that his trip was not just a casual visit. The Moogle that was carrying the fortune telling robot cat was dragging a rather bulky carrier.

Nanaki nodded in greeting. "Reeve, it's good to see you."

Reeve smiled. "It's good to see you too Red. Are we all ready to leave?"

"We are just waiting for Cloud and Tifa," the large feline stated. Cloud came out of the bar, quickly followed by Tifa. She flipped the sign on the door to 'Closed' and locked the door.

"Well, I'm ready to go!" she exclaimed cheerfully as she walked down the steps.

Cid said a gruff goodbye, ending his call, and snuffed out his cig on the ground with his boot. "About time. The Shera's waiting for us."

As the blond captain led the way to his beloved airship, Tifa casually struck up a conversation with Reeve and Vincent only caught pieces of it, some of which including "_change of clothes_" and "_festival._" Cloud strode alongside him with Nanaki trotting in between the two groups.

Cloud spoke and broke the silence between them. "Have you heard from her?"

The gunslinger shook his head, his mane flowing with his motion. "I've been receiving her voicemail only. Has she ever written to Tifa?"

The blonde man thought for a moment and said, "Only once. The time of Godo's death. That was all."

"I see," Vincent muttered from behind his mantle.

* * *

"That is all, My Highness," a province lord said as he rolled up the scroll from which he was reading. He gave her a quick bow and waited for her dismissal.

Yuffie frowned at his report but waved for him return to his post among the other provincial lords and ladies who have gathered for the monthly assembly. They had spent nearly all morning discussing the grievances of the drought that struck late in the harvest and were updating their monarch of each province's needs. Some were trivial matters, which made her inwardly roll her eyes and wonder why Staniv or Shake couldn't receive those messages in her stead. Tiredly, she asked, "Is there anyone else who has matters of importance to bring forth?"

The lords and ladies looked amongst themselves and had no other words to say. Sighing in relief, Yuffie leaned back on her throne, embellished with Leviathan on the backrest, and dismissed her court.

"Please stay for the night in the palace and enjoy a night of rest at the winter's harvest festival," she told them.

They all bowed and filed out.

When the court was empty, save for her four personal advisors, Yuffie closed her eyes and tipped her head back.

A cough disrupted her silent thoughts and she cracked a steel eye opened. "What is it Gorkii?"

The elder smiled apologetically at his interruption. "I believe that you should also prepare for the festival, Lady Kisaragi. It is a time to relax and enjoy for the fruitful harvest that Wutai has received."

She pouted with hunched shoulders. "Must I? I really rather just go to sleep right now."

"It is proper, My Lady," Shake prompted. She glared at him, since he was barely a decade older than she was. He shrunk back slightly but Chekov intercepted it.

"We should hurry, Lady Kisaragi," the advisor said. Groaning, Yuffie finally stood and stretched her arms above her head. "Fine, fine, I'm going."

* * *

"Halt! State your purpose!" a guard shouted as he approached the motley group formerly addressed as Avalanche. Reeve stepped forward, his entire demeanor shifting into that of the director of WRO.

"We are here with the request to see the Lord of Wutai, Queen Kisaragi," he told the guard, who eyed the rest of the group suspiciously. "I have a statement issued by Her Highness's court of our arrival to Wutai."

The soldier read the piece of paper and saw the Kisaragi's seal at the bottom of the page. He reluctantly handed it back to Reeve, who was now smiling rather diplomatically. "Thank you."

Vincent watched as the guards called for the heavy metal doors to the capital to be opened. Red XIII came up next to him and gently nudged his claw. "You seem nervous, Vincent."

The dark haired man looked down for a moment before resuming his gaze at the doors and the backs of the rest of crew. "Do I? I didn't seem to realize."

The red furred creature chuckled knowingly. "Perhaps I might be wrong. Come, I something smell delectable from within these walls."

Garnet eyes blinked. Red XIII merely gave him a fanged grin.

* * *

Water flowed in rivulets down her body as she stepped out of her cooling wooden bath. A silk robe was drawn over her pink skin.

Hand maids came to her side immediately with combs, long sheets of ornamented fabrics, and different pairs of slippers.

She sat irately in front of the dresser that spanned half of the wall with large mirrors and an assortment of jewelry, makeup and other small trinkets. Her hair was pulled this way and that, her face was brushed with power and colors and her hands were polished and painted.

It wasn't before long that she could barely recognize the person staring back at her.

"My Lady, your robes," a hand maid said, motioning to the layers of silk hung on the wooden screen.

Yuffie went over there idly, just wondering how much longer she must endure for her "proper transformation" into the regal being that everyone was hoping for.

* * *

Vincent nodded in thanks to the couple who directed him. They smiled and rejoined the clamor and festivities in the lively streets of Wutai. Lanterns, mini game shops and small food stalls decorated the entire main street. The natives and few foreigners were dressed in silk robes of many colors. Children ran about the place with clear bags of water with goldfish swimming inside and sticks of odango in their hands.

Turning away from the vivacious atmosphere of the festival, he ambled toward the slight figure seated upon a carved stone bench in the midst of a large open garden. She was dressed much more stylishly and traditionally than the others and her dark hair was somehow arranged in a courtly fashion with silver pins and trinkets embellishing it. Her face was missing the makeup that was on before, except for the dark eye makeup.

Garnet eyes softening, he quietly came to the side of the bench and stood for a moment before she realized that she had company. Yuffie turned her head and her gray eyes widened as they briefly surveyed his state of dress.

He wore a navy _gi_ with black _hakama_. His long ebony mane was tied at the nape of his neck and came over his shoulder. The golden gantlet was still on his arm.

"Vinnie." His pet name slipped from her tongue instinctively. Her surprised expression disappeared as quickly as it came. She gave him a bright smile. "It's been a while."

He nodded. "You have been well?"

"Well, aside from listening to old coots for the entire morning and not being able to run around pick pocketing, I'm surviving," she said, shrugging. She tugged lightly at her elegant robes of cranes and sunsets weaved on black silk. "I can actually breathe in this, can you believe it?"

A sly grin then curved on her lips as she added mischievously, "Although Chekov found it scandalous when I slit the other one to run from that tea ceremony in front of the other heads of the ninja clans."

Vincent smirked lightly. Same old Yuffie.

"So," she started, "How are things in Nibelheim?"

"It has been the same. The ShinRa Mansion is recently undergoing some renovations," he supplied as an answer.

"Really? Does Reeve have anything to do with it?" She stood up from her seat on the stone bench. Jestingly, she added, "It'd been infested by Moogles if you aren't careful."

"I'll take my chances. He is here in Wutai, along with the others." He offered her his arm and she placed her hand at the hook as they slowly walked around the ponds of _koi_ and goldfish, small trimmed bonsai and ancient trees. A stone cut path made gentle turns and led to a red wooden bridge erected over the waters flowing from a waterfall. They stopped in the center of it. Yuffie stood by the railing and laid her hands on the railing.

"So, what's with the unexpected visit? Here to enjoy the festival?" she asked, eyes following the peacefully swimming colored fish. The peach lilies swayed from the soft current and the green pads floated about.

"You have not contacted us since you departed. Tifa has been worried…" he told her, stepping up to her side. "As have I."

"Ruling a fallen kingdom is harder than it seemed," she admitted, ignoring his last comment. "I haven't had time for myself these past months, especially after Godo died."

"A letter would have sufficed." He stared out at the running water lapping the smooth stones.

She sighed and her face became older, the tiredness more apparent.

"I'm sorry," Yuffie simply said before turning away from the serene scene below her and properly faced Vincent.

A silence grew between them and neither dared to speak. The water rippled and a summer breeze rustled the grass. His dark red eyes only observed her as her metallic orbs focused on his countenance and seemed to fade into a distance.

"You are sad." The words slipped off her tongue quietly. He answered her with the same tone, "As you are unhappy. It is unlike you."

"I had to grow up sometime Vincent. I just didn't realize that it'd be so hard." She raised a pale but battle worn hand up to his face. He dipped his head slightly to accommodate her reach, relishing the soft contact upon the side of his face. His tarnish claw came up and pressed against her hand, trapping it between the cool metal and his warm skin.

He turned his head and placed a kiss on her palm, then stared at her with burning crimson eyes. "I have missed you."

Her fingers intertwined with his brass claw, grasping on tightly. She stepped forward and placed her forehead upon his slightly exposed chest. Her eyes closed as a small smile curved on her lips. "I missed you more."

They became silent again as he posed no argument in return. She felt him inhale deeply. "Marry me, Yuffie."

His human fingers curled underneath her chin, lifting her face to meet his gaze. Tears shimmered in her eyes. He could see the internal struggle flaring behind them. His other hand wrapped around her waist, pressing her flush against him.

"Vincent…" she breathed. A few tears fell from her eyes, leaving a wet trail down her cheeks. "I…"

He leaned in, closing the gap between their faces until only centimeters remained. He repeated, "Marry me."

He saw something within her yield and lost himself to the sensation of her lips molding against his in sweet bliss. He smiled in their kiss as she answered. "Yes."

* * *

_End Part III_

* * *

**Pieces of Happiness**

**.finis.**

* * *

**AN:** Alas, this is the last part. I might add an epilogue or have another sequel for this story. Most of it is left unsaid and really ambiguous, but maybe I will write a side story to this. For some reason, it's really hard to write mature Yuffentine. It might be because of Vincent's seemingly stoic nature and Yuffie's all-around personality.

Regardless, I hope you enjoyed reading it this! And also, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!


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